Machine for making/treating a sheet of material

Abstract

A machine for one of producing and treating, and separately treating a material web including a material web dispensing device, at least one application apparatus, a drying device, a processing device and a material web smoothing device. The material web dispensing device dispenses a material web continuously. The at least one application apparatus is arranged along a material web path after the material web dispensing device. The application apparatus applies a liquid or a pasty application medium to at least one side of the web as it moves along the material web path. The at least one application apparatus including at least one contactless application unit discharging the application medium as a free application medium jet, an application medium curtain, an application medium veil or an application medium droplet spray. The at least one contactless application unit applying the application medium to the material web on the basis of forces imparted to the application medium, movement impulses imparted to the application medium or movement of the application medium induced by the force of gravity. The drying device is arranged along the material web path after the application apparatus. The drying device drying the moving material web to a drying state. The processing device is arranged along the material web path after the drying device. The processing device at least processing, picking up and/or discharging the web. The material web smoothing device is positioned along the material web path either before or after the application apparatus.

1 . A machine for one of producing and treating, and separately treating a fiber material web, comprising: 
 a material web dispensing device for dispensing the fiber material web continuously;    at least one application apparatus arranged along a fiber material web path after said material web dispensing device, said application apparatus for applying one of a liquid and a pasty application medium to at least one side of the fiber material web as it moves along the fiber material web path, said at least one application apparatus including at least one contactless application unit discharging the application medium in at least one of a free application medium jet, an application medium curtain, an application medium veil and an application medium droplet spray, said at least one contactless application unit applying the application medium to the fiber material web on the basis of at least one of forces imparted to the application medium, movement impulses imparted to the application medium and movement of the application medium induced by the force of gravity;    a drying device arranged along the fiber material web path after said application apparatus, said drying device drying the moving fiber material web to a drying state;    a processing device arranged along the fiber material web path after said drying device, said processing device at least one of processing, picking up and discharging the web; and    a material web smoothing device positioned along the fiber material web path one of before and after said application apparatus.    
     
     
         2 . The machine of  claim 1 , wherein said material web smoothing device smoothes the fiber material web on at least one side, in such a way that a fiber material web roughness no greater than 5 μm when measured in accordance with the PPS-10s measuring method.  
     
     
         3 . The machine of  claim 2 , wherein said roughness is no greater than 3 μm.  
     
     
         4 . The machine of  claim 1 , wherein said material web smoothing device achieves said fiber material web roughness of at most 5 μm, on the basis of normal operating parameters of the machine.  
     
     
         5 . The machine of  claim 4 , wherein said fiber material web roughness is at most 3 μm.  
     
     
         6 . The machine of  claim 1 , wherein said material web smoothing device includes at least one smoothing unit from the group consisting of: a soft nip calender, a wide nip calender, a hard nip calender, a supercalender, a multi-nip smoothing unit, a 1-nip calender and a 2-nip calender.  
     
     
         7 . The machine of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one contactless application unit is a curtain application unit which discharges the application medium in the form of at least one of a curtain and a veil onto the fiber material web at least predominately on the basis of a movement of the application medium induced by the force of gravity.  
     
     
         8 . The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a nozzle arrangement on said contactless application unit, said at least one contactless application unit being a spray application unit which discharges the application medium in the form of one of an application medium droplet spray and application medium jets onto the fiber material web, the application medium moving at least predominantly on the basis of movement impulses inputted to the application medium as it emerges from said nozzle arrangement.  
     
     
         9 . The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a dewatering and drying section arranged along the fiber material web path after said material web dispensing device; and    at least one further material web treatment device arranged along the fiber material web path one of between said material web dispensing device and said dewatering and drying section, between said dewatering and drying section and said application apparatus, between said application apparatus and said drying device, between said drying device and said processing device and integrated into one of said material web dispensing device, said drying device and said processing device.    
     
     
         10 . The machine of  claim 1 , wherein said material web dispensing device includes a material web forming device forming the fiber material web continuously from a supplied fibrous suspension.  
     
     
         11 . The machine of  claim 10 , further comprising a dewatering and drying section arranged along the fiber material web path between said material web forming device and said application apparatus, said dewatering and drying section extracting water from the web by way of at least one of thermal and mechanical action, said dewatering and drying section drying the web at least down to a residual moisture content.  
     
     
         12 . The machine of  claim 10 , further comprising at least one further material web treatment device arranged along the fiber material web path one of between said material web forming device and said dewatering and drying section, between said dewatering and drying section and said application apparatus and integrated into one of said material web forming device and said dewatering and drying section.  
     
     
         13 . The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a material web reel, said material web dispensing device being a material web unwind for unwinding the fiber material web from said material web reel.  
     
     
         14 . The machine of  claim 13 , further comprising at least one further material web treatment device arranged along the fiber material web path one of between said material web unwind and said application apparatus and integrated into said material web unwind.  
     
     
         15 . A method of coating a fiber material web, comprising the step of using a contactless application unit that is one of a curtain application unit, and a spray application unit, to apply one of a liquid and a pasty application medium to a moving fiber material web in combination with a material web smoothing device in one of an online process within a machine for producing and treating the fiber material web and an offline process within said machine for treating the fiber material web.  
     
     
         16 . A method for treating a fiber material web, comprising the steps of: 
 contactlessly applying one of a liquid and pasty application medium to at least one side of the fiber material web as it moves;    smoothing at least one side of the fiber material web one of before and after said contactlessly applying step; and    drying the fiber material web.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the method is sequentially carried out as follows: 
 said smoothing step;    said contactlessly applying step; then    said drying step.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said drying step is at least additionally carried out one of prior to said smoothing step and after said smoothing step;  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said smoothing step is additionally carried out after said drying step.